How to get a job at the EU institutions

How do you get a job at the EU institutions?

There are three main routes. Permanent posts go to people who pass an EPSO competition. Contract staff are selected through CAST Permanent, a register that is always open. Temporary agents and seconded national experts are recruited for specific posts.

The institutions in Brussels are large employers: the European Commission had 23,133 staff in Belgium in October 2026, the Council 3,182, and the European External Action Service 2,648 at its headquarters. The Parliament, the advisory committees, executive agencies and joint undertakings add thousands more. All of them recruit through the same few contract types, explained below.

Sources: European Commission, staff figures, Council, staff and budget, EEAS HR report 2025 (checked October 2026)

How do EPSO competitions work?

A competition is an open selection for permanent posts. You take computer-based tests, and if you pass, your name goes on a reserve list from which the institutions recruit. It is the only way to become a permanent official.

EPSO, the EU’s recruitment office, changed its model in 2023. The assessment centre, with its group exercises and oral tests, has gone. A competition such as AD5 Graduates now uses computer-based tests only: reasoning tests in your main language, a multiple-choice test on EU knowledge, a digital skills test, and a short written test in your second language. For AD5 Graduates 2026 the tests come in two parts: the reasoning tests start in November 2026, and only those who pass sit the rest in 2027. Candidates need one EU language at C1 level and a second at B2.

The reserve list is alphabetical, not ranked, and stays valid for several years. It is not a job offer: institutions interview candidates from the list and assess their competencies themselves. From application to list, allow six to twelve months.

Competition is fierce. AD5 Graduates 2026 received 174,727 applications for 1,490 places, about 117 per place. Specialist competitions are smaller; the 2027 calendar includes competitions for lawyers, parliamentary assistants, security and defence, financial management and ICT.

Sources: EU Campus, EPSO AD5 2026 competition (EPSO/AD/427/26), EU Careers, permanent staff, EU Training, AD5 Generalist competition 2026, EPSO, upcoming selection procedures (checked October 2026)

What is CAST Permanent?

CAST Permanent is the always-open register for contract staff. You register once; institutions search the register when they need someone, and EPSO tests the people they shortlist.

You choose a profile, such as administration, finance or communication, and a function group. When an institution shortlists you, EPSO invites you to online reasoning tests. A pass is valid for ten years; after a fail you can try again after four months. The next test dates are 19 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 31 March 2027. Even when you apply to a published contract-agent vacancy, you need to be in CAST.

Source: EPSO, CAST Permanent (checked October 2026)

What are the contract types?

Permanent officials, temporary agents, contract agents and seconded national experts. They differ in how you are selected, how long the contract lasts and what it pays.

Permanent officials (AD and AST)

Career civil servants, recruited from EPSO reserve lists. AD posts are for graduates in policy, law, economics and similar work; AST posts are for assistants and technical staff.

Temporary agents

Fixed-term staff for specific posts, common in EU agencies, the EEAS, Commissioners’ offices and the Parliament’s political groups. They apply to a published vacancy and have conditions similar to officials.

Contract agents (FG I to IV)

Selected through CAST Permanent, on fixed-term contracts of generally up to six years; some agencies and delegations offer indefinite contracts. Function group IV is the graduate level, function groups I to III cover support, clerical and technical work.

Seconded national experts

Civil servants lent by their national, regional or local administration, usually for two to four years. You apply through your own government, and your employer keeps paying your salary.

Accredited parliamentary assistants to MEPs are another kind of EU contract, without a competition; see the European Parliament guide.

What do EU institution jobs pay?

Pay follows fixed grids that rise every year. A graduate contract agent (FG IV) starts on €4,449.31 a month basic salary, under the grid of 1 July 2025.

EU staff pay EU tax instead of Belgian income tax and may receive allowances, such as a 16 % expatriation allowance if they moved to Belgium for the job, and household and child allowances. Work out your take-home pay below; the full salary scales are on our EU salary calculator page.

Sources: Fusion for Energy, contract agent remuneration 2025, EU Careers, salary and allowances (checked October 2026)

Which EU institution jobs are open in Brussels?

We could not read the EU Careers portal when this page was built. See the open vacancies directly on eu-careers.europa.eu.

Do EU bodies post on jobsin.brussels?

Some do, mostly agencies, joint undertakings and the EIT communities. They posted 54 vacancies on our board in the last twelve months, 3.9 % of all. The institutions themselves publish on EU Careers, which is why the list above matters more.

The EU bodies with the most vacancies on our board: Joint Research Centre (21), Climate-KIC (6), EIT Food (5), European CO-operation in Science and Technology (4), European Ombudsman (4), Single Resolution Board (3).

EU traineeships, such as the Blue Book and Schuman programmes, are covered in the traineeship guide.

Frequently asked questions